Every second counts for startups. Getting your product to market quickly can impact your success. But for many early-stage startups, building a team of developers is tough. It's time-consuming and also requires resources you may not have—every second counts for startups, where speed can make or break success.
Getting your product to market quickly is essential, but building a dedicated team of developers can be a daunting challenge for many early-stage startups. It’s time-consuming and demands resources that are often scarce at this stage. That's why trying with an experienced development team can be the game-changing solution, allowing you to stay focused on growing your business while experts handle the technical side
Partnering lifts that burden. This strategy can support your vision and move your business forward. In this blog, we’ll cover how partnering with an experienced development agency makes a difference. We’ll also share benefits and best practices.
The Problem with In-house Development for Startups
Hiring is a long process. Finding the right people in the talent pool is like searching for a needle in a haystack. It takes time to:
- Write job descriptions
- Sift through resumes
- Conduct interviews
- Negotiate offers
All while your competitors are racing ahead. This can be frustrating and it comes with a lot of opportunity cost. But those aren’t the only costs to concern yourself with. Building an in-house team requires tangible expenses that add up fast.
Bringing on full-time employees involves managing salaries and benefits, and also requires having someone to guide the software developers. Additionally, finding an experienced tech lead presents its challenge, adding another layer of complexity. As a result, there’s a lot to overcome before you can even begin product development".
Why the Partnering Alternative Makes Sense
What if you skip all those hurdles and jump straight into development? That's part of the value of partnering: You can start building right away. While you'd be sorting through resumes, an outsourced team could already be coding. You only pay for what you need, when you need it.
4 Benefits of Partnering with an Agency
What else can you expect when you partner with a development agency? These are some benefits that make the most impact.
1) Faster Time to Market
You don’t have to worry about how a project will come together. Agencies come with ready-built teams and an established development process. You can hit the ground running. This head start can be crucial in competitive markets where being first can mean being the product most users adopt.
2) Access to Expertise
Think of an agency as your tech dream team. Need an AI expert for that cutting-edge feature? A UX wiz to make your app irresistible? Agencies offer specialized skills that would take years to build in-house.
For example, two different considerations are part of the app development process:
Front-end Development: Implement the UI/UX design in code. This involves writing code for the user interface elements, animations, and any client-side functionality.
Back-end Development: Develop the server-side logic, database integration, and other functionalities necessary for the app's core operations. Ensure data security and efficient server-client communication.
Partnering with a development agency isn't just about filling skill gaps, it's about elevating your entire product. You get access to professionals who've been there, done that, and have the battle scars to prove it. Their experience can bring fresh perspectives and solutions to your startup.
3) Cost Flexibility
Building an in-house development team is like buying a house. It's a long-term investment with fixed costs. Choosing the partnering option is more like renting a fully furnished apartment. You get the benefits without a long-term commitment.
You can scale your resources up or down with an agency based on your needs. Are you launching a new feature? Ramp up the team. In a quiet phase? Scale back. This flexibility allows you to manage your burn rate.
A survey by Commit shows that 48% of HR leaders see cost savings as the top benefit of delegating tech talent. 68% of companies spend at least a month to recruit a single developer. The partnership helps those onboarding costs lower and less frequent.
4) Established Processes
Agencies come with tested processes baked in. They've got the workflows to make development smooth. This means fewer hiccups and more consistent output. You don’t have to struggle with creating or implementing new standards.
How to Support Your Existing Team by Partnering
You can accomplish even more with a development partner if your startup already has a development team. Here’s how.
Move Beyond the Traditional Model
Forget the old-school way of delegating. You don’t just toss requirements to external teams and hope for the best. Top agencies are true partners. They work to understand the vision and support your specific goals.
Gain an Extension of Your Team
Teamwork really does make the team work. If you already have a dedicated team of developers at your start-up, you can expand with a development agency. All without giving up control or visibility. Bring on additional talent that fits right in.
Connect and Collaborate
Working in silos can be a recipe for disaster. It may lead to products that don't meet your expectations. Look for an agency that will go beyond the average status meeting. True brainstorming sessions keep everyone on the same page.
8 Best Practices
What do you need to know before you start working with a partner? Keep these best practices in mind.
1) Regular Meetings and Interviews Communication
The "no news is good news" approach doesn’t work well for anyone. Look for a development partner with a clear process to keep you in the loop. The Brightscout team uses tools that foster real-time communications like Slack, Notion, Google (docs and meet), Figma, and more.
These platforms ensure that essential documents, like project plans, requirements documents, and meeting minutes, are organized and accessible to all stakeholders. By centralizing document management, technology minimizes the risk of information silos and confusion. In a collaborative environment, technology promotes clarity. Everyone has access to the latest version of project documents.
2) Agile Project Management
True Agile isn’t a buzzword. It’s a way of working. As the Agile Manifesto says, we are uncovering better ways of developing software by doing it and helping others do it. Look for a development agency that uses this approach and its principles. This is important for start-ups. You need to work fast and often and adapt even more quickly.
For example, here’s a look at how Brightscout’s design sprints play an important role in an Agile app development process:
The first day, aptly named "Understand," involves unpacking the challenge at hand, aligning team members, and dissecting the problem from every conceivable angle. It's essentially laying the groundwork, ensuring everyone is on the same page before the sprint kicks into high gear.
Day two, "Diverge," is where creativity blossoms. Team members unleash their inner Da Vinci, generating a plethora of ideas to address the challenge. From post-it notes to whiteboards, the room transforms into a canvas of innovation. The goal is quantity over quality at this stage, fostering a fertile ground for diverse perspectives.
Next comes "Decide" on day three. Amidst the chaos of ideas, the team engages in a structured decision-making process to distill the myriad possibilities into a tangible prototype. This is where the cream rises to the top, and only the most promising concepts are kept.
Days four and five, "Prototype" and "Test," are a dynamic duo. The chosen solution is translated into a tangible prototype that users can interact with, and then, in a plot twist, real users enter the scene. Their feedback is the litmus test, offering invaluable insights and validating whether the chosen path is indeed the yellow brick road to success.
3) Version Control and Transparency
Imagine having X-ray vision of the project's progress. What if you had a simple way to get a pulse on what’s happening in real-time? At Brightscout, we use your GitHub account, delivering code daily or weekly. This means you can peek under the hood. We believe you should have full visibility into each project development stage.
4) Continuous Integration / Continuous Deployment
Code is integrated, built, tested, and deployed automatically with every commit. This means you can provide feedback early and often. Steer the ship in real time. Don’t stress over changing course after it's already sailed.
5) Infrastructure as Code
Look for an agency that will treat your infrastructure with the same care and version control as application code. This means your deployment environments are reproducible, and rock-solid. It also makes it easy to scale and manage as your startup grows.
6) Code Review Process
Every line of code must go through a review process. Yes, you catch bugs at this stage. But this helps you maintain a high level of quality too. Think of it as having a team of meticulous proofreaders for your code.
7) Comprehensive Testing
Testing early and often matters. That’s how you catch issues before they become major problems. Ask any agency you’re considering about their testing approach. How do they know a feature is done and ready for prime time?
8) Documentation
Good documentation sets you up for long-term success. Our documentation is comprehensive. All future developers, from our team or yours, can use it to get up to speed. You can easily maintain the final product or extend it later.
What You Should Know About Post-launch Support and Transition
A true partnership means seeing a project all the way through. Look for these options when choosing a development agency.
Production Support
Launching your product is just the beginning of the journey. That's why we stick around. For example, once launched, Brightscout will provide 30 days of production support that includes:
Response Times:
- Critical issues: we will respond within 1 hour of receiving a support request.
- High-priority issues: we will respond within 4 hours of receiving a support request.
- Medium/low priority issues: we will respond within 1 day of receiving a support request.
Resolution Times:
- Critical issues: we will aim to resolve critical issues within 4 hours of the initial response.
- High-priority Issues: we will aim to resolve high-priority issues within 1 business day of the initial response.
- Medium/low priority issues: we will aim to resolve medium/low priority issues within 5 business days of the initial response.
Ongoing Support Options
Need support beyond the initial 30 days? Look for an agency that will have you covered. Ongoing support agreements can suit your needs. Whether you need occasional troubleshooting or continuous development.
For example, once the app is live, user feedback is invaluable. Monitoring reviews, ratings, and in-app analytics helps identify bugs, performance issues, and user experience improvements. Responding promptly to this feedback is crucial for maintaining user satisfaction and app credibility. B2B SaaS startups that outsource will need more support to do that.
Continuous maintenance involves regular updates to fix bugs, improve performance, and add new features. These updates keep the app relevant and competitive in a rapidly evolving tech landscape. For instance, adapting to new operating system versions or integrating with emerging technologies can significantly enhance the app’s functionality and user appeal.
Transitioning to In-house Development
As your startup grows, you might want to bring more development in-house. The code you get from any agency should be clean and have clear documentation. Your team should understand how to make changes and build on them.
Ready to Work with a B2B SaaS Development Partner?
At Brightscout, we understand the pivotal role development plays in the success of tech startups. Our team consists of seasoned experts. From user-obsessed research to solutions that can scale as fast as your ambitions, we craft apps and websites that don't just keep up with the times – they set the pace, turning your digital presence into a market-dominating juggernaut.
Innovation is at the heart of everything we do. We pride ourselves on pushing the boundaries of creativity and exploring new possibilities to elevate your brand above the noise. Whether it's leveraging emerging technologies, experimenting with cutting-edge trends, or devising out-of-the-box strategies, we're committed to delivering innovative solutions that captivate audiences, drive engagement, and build brand loyalty.
We also believe in the power of collaboration! As your trusted partner, we work closely with you every step of the way to understand your vision, business goals, and challenges. Our collaborative approach ensures that we not only meet but exceed your expectations, delivering solutions that truly reflect your brand's essence and resonate with your target audience.
We value transparency, open communication, and feedback. All with a partnership built on trust, respect, and shared success. Contact us now and let’s write a new chapter in your business story.
